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Activities & Games

Biggest Loser Competition Hot

You may have already effectively brought your residents up to speed on the gym equipment at your New Year’s Resolution Gym Training event. You may have also brought in a personal trainer to show them proper use and techniques. Now that many have made resolutions, this is the best time to help residents to reach their fitness goals with some friendly competition.

The benefits of weight loss communities

Weight loss challenges may be inspired by television shows with a flair for the dramatic, but there are other reasons to work out and aim high together.

Research shows that groups who meet, exercise, and track their progress together, make bigger gains and lose more weight than going it alone.

The American Psychological Association noted that people participating in weight loss groups, like Weight Watchers and others, lost an average of three to five times more weight than those who didn’t participate in community-based programs.

There is strength in numbers, and working out together can get you to your goals faster.

To encourage this type of community spirit, consider arranging a fun competition to build up group support and motivate your residents to meet or exceed their fitness goals this year.

Preparations

The first thing you’ll want to do is decide how long of a competition you want to have, and how often you want participants to check in. Make sure you allow residents enough time to reach meet their fitness goals.

You can choose any amount of time from one month to a whole year (for those with larger weight loss or fitness goals). However, the sweet spot seems to be somewhere between 6 and 12 weeks. This is enough time for participants to see progress, without resorting to drastic measures or losing interest.

Also, decide if you want it to be individual or team-based: either way makes for an entertaining competition.

Teams can make the challenge more motivating as team members push each other to reach their goals, and keep their teammates in check throughout the event.

Choose a challenge coordinator

Choose one staff member to be your designated wellness challenge coordinator.

This person will do everything from registering participants and their starting weights (and/or other measurements) as well as collecting data at the weigh-ins each week.

***TIP*** It’s important to choose a staff member that you know will be both honest and discreet – residents will be more likely to participate if they know they’re not going to be judged for their fitness level and weight.

Running the event

One of the key points of this event is to ensure that participants are weighing in on the same equipment. This means they can’t weight themselves at home on their own scales.

If your gym already has a scale, great! If not, you’ll have to arrange the use of a scale that will help keep it fair.

Make sure everyone knows that they need to weigh or measure in once a week in the office. This is so that you can verify their progress and keep the contest official.

***TIP*** If you decide to purchase a digital scale to make check-ins easier, remember to get one that weighs into larger digits. This way you can weigh all participants (going up to the 300+ pound range for larger residents with larger goals.)

Staying organized

Keeping tabs on everyone is as easy as creating a word document or spreadsheet to track participants progress from week to week. This will be your challenge coordinator’s job.

***TIP*** To make check ins easier, consider making a set time that residents need to check in each week, perhaps a Monday or Friday between set hours so you know when to expect them!

There are a few different ways to offer incentives and also keep residents motivated.

Consider offering a small prize other week to help keep interest in the program high. This can be given to the resident who has made the most exceptional progress or given the most effort in that period.

You can also create a reward pool where all participants put in a set amount like $10-25. The promise of a large payout will keep residents motivated and committed to earning that jackpot.